Puerto Rico Critical Wildlife Areas - Puerto DRNA - Gobierno de ...

stronghold of the latter species in Puerto Rico. This diversity depends upon the island’s unique
combination of isolation, inaccessibility and habitat diversity (Kepler 1978).
Brown pelican Pelecanus occidentalis, White-tailed tropicbird Phaeton lepturus
(Moreno 1991). Masked booby Sula dactylatra, Brown booby S. leucogaster, Red footed booby
S. sula, Magnificent frigatebird, Laughing gull Larus atricilla, Bridled tern Sterna anaethetus,
Sooty tern S. fuscata, Brown noddy Anous stolidus (Rolle et al. 1964; Kepler 1978). The
endangered Yellow-shouldered blackbird Agelaius xanthomus monensis is reported in the island
(Terrestrial Resources Data 2004).
Reptiles
Mona’s anole Anolis monensis, Slippery-backed mabuya Mabuya mabouya sloanei,
Monito gecko Sphaerodactylus micropithecus (Moreno 1991).
Mammals
Roof rat Rattus rattus (Kepler, 1978)
Invertebrates
Insects
Two species of Drosophila were recorded on the island: D. peninsularis and D. nebulosa
(Rolle et al., 1964).
Threats:
The U.S. Air Force used Monito Island as an aerial bombing target after World War II
(Wadsworth 1973), and many large impact craters and bomb fragments remain on the plateau.
Several cliffs and shelves have been cracked or shattered by impacts, making passage difficult
and treacherous to some areas (Kepler 1978). Also, the introduced roof rat threats bird colonies
that use the island for breeding and roosting. The primary threats to the Monito gecko appear to
be the possible impact from roof rats and the possibility of habitat destruction on such a small
land area (USFWS 1986).
Conservation Recommendations:
In October 1992, the DNER began an eradication program for black rats on Monito
Island, encouraged by the successful rat eradication on Cayo Ratones, La Cordillera Natural
Reserve (P.R.), and on Steven Cay (US Virgin Islands) (García et al. 2002). Eliminating the
rat’s detrimental effect on Monito Island will undoubtedly have beneficial results for Monito’s
native and unique biota (García et al., 2002).
References:
Breckon, G.J., D. A. Kolterman, V. Santiago-Vélez and F. López-Arroyo. 1998. Flora of Monito
Island, Puerto Rico: observations and new records. Carib. J. Scie. 34: 132-136.
García, M.A., C.E. Diez, and A. O. Álvarez. 2002. The eradication of Rattus rattus from Monito
Island, West Indies. In: Turning the tide: the eradication of invasive species. IUCN SSC
invasive species specialist group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. Pp
116-119.
Kepler, C. B. 1978. The Breeding Ecology of Sea Birds on Monito Island, Puerto Rico. Condor.
Vol 80: 72-87.
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